61-537: The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator ( MOP ) is a precision-guided , 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) " bunker buster " bomb used by the United States Air Force . The GBU-57 (Guided Bomb Unit-57) is substantially larger than the deepest-penetrating bunker busters previously available, the 5,000-pound (2,300 kg) GBU-28 and GBU-37 . Due to its size (6 meters length and a weight of over 12 tonnes ) it can only be carried by large bombers—for instance,
122-483: A B-52H at Minot AFB and transported to Barksdale AFB, and the 2008 incident in which four MK-12 forward-section reentry vehicle assemblies were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan, former Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger led an investigation into the status of U.S. Air Force nuclear surety. Secretary Schlesinger's recommendation was the creation of a single major command under which all Air Force nuclear assets should be placed for better accountability. On 24 October 2008,
183-652: A laser designator or for another aircraft to illuminate the target. During NATO's air campaign in 1999 in Kosovo the new Italian AF AMX employed the Opher. In 1962, the US Army began research into laser guidance systems and by 1967 the USAF had conducted a competitive evaluation leading to full development of the world's first laser-guided bomb , the BOLT-117 , in 1968. All such bombs work in much
244-545: A laser designator to guide an electronically actuated bullet to a target. Another system in development uses a laser range finder to trigger an explosive small arms shell in proximity to a target. The U.S. Army plans to use such devices in the future. In 2008 the EXACTO program began under DARPA to develop a " fire and forget " smart sniper rifle system including a guided smart bullet and improved scope. The exact technologies of this smart bullet have not been released. EXACTO
305-469: A single Air Force command as part of a leadership shift announced Monday." This means that two bomb wings formerly under Air Combat Command will shift into AFGSC. The units came under the command on 1 October 2015. On 6 October 2016, the 595th Command and Control Group was activated at Offutt Air Force Base , Nebraska to assume the responsibility for the Boeing E-4 NAOC mission. Eighth Air Force
366-641: A specific military requirement for an ultra-large bomb, but has a concept for a collection of very large penetrator and blast weapons: the so-called "Big BLU" collection, which includes the MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) bomb. Development of the MOP was performed at the Air Force Research Laboratory , Munitions Directorate, Eglin Air Force Base , Florida with design and testing work performed by Boeing . It
427-628: A specific target, to minimize collateral damage and increase lethality against intended targets. During the Persian Gulf War guided munitions accounted for only 9% of weapons fired, but accounted for 75% of all successful hits. Despite guided weapons generally being used on more difficult targets, they were still 35 times more likely to destroy their targets per weapon dropped. Because the damage effects of explosive weapons decrease with distance due to an inverse cube law, even modest improvements in accuracy (hence reduction in miss distance) enable
488-477: A successful strike in any given weather conditions than any other type of precision-guided munition. Responding to after-action reports from pilots who employed laser or satellite guided weapons, Boeing developed a Laser JDAM (LJDAM) to provide both types of guidance in a single kit. Based on the existing Joint Direct Attack Munition configurations, a laser guidance package is added to a GPS/INS-guided weapon to increase its overall accuracy. Raytheon has developed
549-417: A target to be attacked with fewer or smaller bombs. Thus, even if some guided bombs miss, fewer air crews are put at risk and the harm to civilians and the amount of collateral damage may be reduced. The advent of precision-guided munitions resulted in the renaming of older, low-technology bombs as " unguided bombs ", "dumb bombs", or "iron bombs". Recognizing the difficulty of hitting moving ships during
610-567: Is designated as U.S. Strategic Command's Task Force 204 (TF 204), providing on-alert, combat-ready forces to the President of the United States. The mission of "The Mighty Eighth" is to safeguard America's interests through strategic deterrence and global combat power. Eighth Air Force controls long-range nuclear-capable bomber assets throughout the United States and overseas locations. Its flexible, conventional and nuclear deterrence mission provides
671-471: Is gained by Eighth Air Force. Twentieth Air Force is responsible for maintaining and operating the Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile force. Designated as USSTRATCOM's Task Force 214 (TF 214), 20th Air Force provides on-alert, combat-ready ICBMs to the President of the United States. The ICBMs are on 24-hour/365-day alert and are ready to launch on any given day. AFGSC's Twentieth Air Force
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#1732844217101732-509: Is intended that the bomb will be deployed on the B-2 Spirit , and will be guided using GPS . It is also planned to be deployed on the B-21 Raider . In July 2007, Northrop Grumman announced a $ 2.5-million stealth-bomber refit contract. Each of the U.S. Air Force's B-2s is to be able to carry two 14-ton MOPs. In March 2007, an initial explosive test of the MOP took place in a tunnel belonging to
793-465: Is the Air Force's lead command for and largest operator of UH-1N Huey helicopters. The UH-1N supports ICBM operations in missile fields controlled by F.E. Warren, Malmstrom and Minot Air Force Bases. In 2015, the 582nd Helicopter Group was activated to supervise the three UH-1 squadrons. The Huey will be replaced by the Boeing MH-139 Grey Wolf . Air Force Global Strike Command comprises
854-457: Is to "Develop and provide combat-ready forces for nuclear deterrence and global strike operations --Safe --Secure --Effective to support the President of the United States and combatant commanders." The command has a worldwide area of responsibility (AOR) as a subordinate component command of United States Strategic Command. AFGSC consists of over 31,000 personnel assigned to nine wings, two geographically-separated squadrons and one detachment in
915-479: The 2003 invasion of Iraq , analysis of sites that had been attacked with bunker buster bombs revealed poor penetration and inadequate levels of destruction. This renewed interest in the development of a larger bunker buster, and the MOP project was initiated by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to fulfill a long-standing Air Force requirement. The U.S. Air Force has not officially communicated
976-695: The AAW-144 Data Link Pod, on US Navy F/A-18 Hornets . In World War II, the U.S. National Defense Research Committee developed the VB-6 Felix, which used infrared to home on ships. While it entered production in 1945, it was never employed operationally. The first successful electro optical guided munition was the AGM-62 Walleye during the Vietnam war. It was a family of large glide bombs which could automatically track targets using contrast differences in
1037-601: The Air Force Global Strike Command started receiving the Massive Ordnance Penetrator and that the deliveries "will meet requirements for the current operational need". The Air Force had received delivery of 16 MOPs as of November 2011. In March 2012, there was an "operational stockpile" at Whiteman Air Force Base . In 2012, the Pentagon requested $ 82 million to develop greater penetration power for
1098-478: The Air Force Staff . On 18 June, after an environmental assessment finding of "No Significant Impact", Barksdale Air Force Base was announced as the permanent location for AFGSC. On 7 August 2009, the command officially became active with Klotz assuming command of the organization. The headquarters staff includes 900 people, and reached full operational capability by 30 September 2010. The Twentieth Air Force,
1159-435: The B-2 Spirit . It is designed to accomplish a difficult, complicated mission of reaching and destroying an adversary's weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities. In 2002, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin were working on the development of a 30,000-pound (13,600 kg) earth-penetrating weapon, but funding and technical difficulties resulted in the development work being abandoned. Following
1220-556: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. In October 2009, ABC News reported that the Pentagon had requested and obtained permission from the U.S. Congress to shift funding in order to accelerate the project. It was later announced that funding delays and enhancements to the planned test schedule meant the bomb would not be deployable until December 2010, six months later than
1281-502: The Iraq War included a single 2,000-pound (910 kg) JDAM and two 1,000-pound (450 kg) LGBs. With LJDAM, and the new GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), these same aircraft can carry more bombs if necessary, and have the option of satellite or laser guidance for each weapon release. A cannon-launched guided projectile (CLGP), is fired from artillery , ship's cannon , or armored vehicles . Several agencies and organizations sponsored
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#17328442171011342-785: The Secretary of the United States Air Force , Michael Donley , announced the creation of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) as a new Air Force major command (MAJCOM). The AFGSC is the only remaining Air Force component command reporting to the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) at Offutt. The new command began operations in August 2009, combining the nuclear-capable strategic bomber force previously operated by Air Combat Command (ACC) and
1403-712: The Spanish Civil War , the Germans were first to develop steerable munitions, using radio control or wire guidance. The U.S. tested TV -guided ( GB-4 ), semi-active radar -guided ( Bat ), and infrared -guided ( Felix ) weapons. The CBU-107 Passive Attack Weapon is an air-dropped guided bomb containing metal penetrator rods of various sizes. It was designed to attack targets where an explosive effect may be undesirable, such as fuel storage tanks or chemical weapon stockpiles in civilian areas. The Germans were first to introduce PGMs in combat, with KG 100 deploying
1464-478: The United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). Air Force Global Strike Command is the direct descendant unit of the Cold War –era Strategic Air Command ( SAC ). It holds the lineage, history and honors of SAC. Following the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident when six AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missiles (ACM), each loaded with a W80-1 variable yield nuclear warhead, were mistakenly loaded onto
1525-650: The 1,000 lb (450 kg) VB-1 AZON (from "AZimuth ONly" control), used in both Europe and the CBI theater , and the US Navy 's Bat , primarily used in the Pacific Theater of World War II — the Navy's Bat was more advanced than either German PGM ordnance design or the USAAF's VB-1 AZON, in that it had its own on board, autonomous radar seeker system to direct it to a target. In addition,
1586-435: The 1990s. The Raytheon Maverick is the most common electro optical guided missile. As a heavy anti-tank missile it has among its various marks guidance systems such as electro-optical (AGM-65A), imaging infrared (AGM-65D), and laser homing (AGM-65E). The first two, by guiding themselves based on the visual or IR scene of the target, are fire-and-forget in that the pilot can release the weapon and it will guide itself to
1647-553: The 3,100 lb (1,400 kg) MCLOS -guidance Fritz X armored glide bomb , guided by the Kehl-Straßburg radio guidance system , to successfully attack the Italian battleship Roma in 1943, and the similarly Kehl-Straßburg MCLOS-guided Henschel Hs 293 rocket-boosted glide bomb (also in use since 1943, but only against lightly armored or unarmored ship targets). The closest Allied equivalents, both unpowered designs, were
1708-585: The 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, flying the B-2A Spirit. If federalized, it is gained by Eighth Air Force. The Air Force Reserve Command 's 307th Bomb Wing is an associate unit of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, flying the B-52H Stratofortress. In addition, it's geographically separated 489th Bomb Group is an associate unit of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, flying the B-1B Lancer. If activated, it
1769-588: The B-2, and B-52 bombers will be reassigned to regional commands. Although formerly assigned a nuclear mission, the Rockwell B-1 Lancer bomber force transitioned to a strictly conventional mission force. The B-1 was initially retained in Air Combat Command, although that decision was reversed in 2015. The Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers are now organized under the Air Force Global Strike Command. In November 2008,
1830-567: The CLGP programs. The United States Navy sponsored the Deadeye program, a laser-guided shell for its 5 in (127 mm) guns and a program to mate a Paveway guidance system to an 8 in (203 mm) shell for the 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun in the 1970s ( Photo ). Other Navy efforts include the BTERM , ERGM , and LRLAP shells. Precision-guided small arms prototypes have been developed which use
1891-458: The Enhanced Paveway family, which adds GPS/INS guidance to their Paveway family of laser-guidance packages. These "hybrid" laser and GPS guided weapons permit the carriage of fewer weapons types, while retaining mission flexibility, because these weapons can be employed equally against moving and fixed targets, or targets of opportunity. For instance, a typical weapons load on an F-16 flying in
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1952-631: The German Mistel (Mistletoe) " parasite aircraft " was no more effective, guided by the human pilot flying the single-engined fighter mounted above the unmanned, explosive-laden twin-engined "flying bomb" below it, released in the Mistel's attack dive from the fighter. The U.S. programs restarted in the Korean War . In the 1960s, the electro-optical bomb (or camera bomb ) was reintroduced. They were equipped with television cameras and flare sights, by which
2013-616: The Next Generation Penetrator. In 2011, Global Strike Command indicated that one of the objectives for the Next-Generation Bomber is for it to carry a weapon with the effects of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. This would either be with the same weapon, or a smaller weapon that uses rocket power, not unlike the World War II British/American Disney bomb used, to reach sufficient speed to match
2074-604: The U.S. tested the rocket-propelled Gargoyle , which never entered service. Japanese PGMs—with the exception of the anti-ship air-launched, rocket-powered, human-piloted Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka , "Kamikaze" flying bomb did not see combat in World War II. Prior to the war, the British experimented with radio-controlled remotely guided planes laden with explosives, such as Larynx . The United States Army Air Forces used similar techniques with Operation Aphrodite , but had few successes;
2135-662: The USAF announced plans to start a fourth B-52 squadron at Minot Air Force Base to support Air Force Global Strike Command. The USAF added that, "all the nuclear-capable bombers of what is now Eighth Air Force , and [command of all ICBMs] of what is now in Twentieth Air Force, will report to this single new command.". This action was accomplished on 3 September 2009, when the 69th Bomb Squadron reactivated at Minot Air Force Base. The command's 55-member preliminary team, commanded by Major General James Kowalski, began operations at Bolling Air Force Base on 12 January 2009. The team
2196-427: The air was degraded. The problem of poor visibility does not affect satellite-guided weapons such as Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW), which make use of the United States' GPS system for guidance. This weapon can be employed in all weather conditions, without any need for ground support. Because it is possible to jam GPS, the guidance package reverts to inertial navigation in
2257-557: The base's hosting of the 11th Bomb Squadron, which trains B-52 aircrews and will be adding special emphasis on nuclear training. On 16 April 2009, United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that Air Force Lieutenant General Frank G. Klotz was nominated to be the first commander of the Global Strike Command. Prior to his assignment to AFGSC, Klotz was the Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director of
2318-550: The bomb would be steered until the flare superimposed the target. The camera bombs transmitted a "bomb's eye view" of the target back to a controlling aircraft. An operator in this aircraft then transmitted control signals to steerable fins fitted to the bomb. Such weapons were used increasingly by the USAF in the last few years of the Vietnam War because the political climate was increasingly intolerant of civilian casualties, and because it
2379-477: The capability to deploy forces and engage enemy threats from home station or forward positioned, anywhere, any time. The 8th Air Force motto is "Deterrence through strength, global strike on demand." Offensive aircraft assets include the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit , Boeing B-52 Stratofortress , and Boeing B-1B Lancer . The Missouri Air National Guard 's 131st Bomb Wing is an associate unit of
2440-610: The continental United States and deployed to locations around the globe. Changes to the AFGSC units began with the announcement of the 377th Air Base Wing's realignment in December 2014. In mid-April 2015, Air Force Times reported that " B-1 bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas [will be] joining their long-range B-2 and B-52 bomber counterparts under
2501-461: The design requirements. The system was sent to Vietnam and performed well. Without the existence of targeting pods they had to be aimed using a hand held laser from the back seat of an F-4 Phantom aircraft, but still performed well. Eventually over 28,000 were dropped during the war. Laser-guided weapons did not become commonplace until the advent of the microchip . They made their practical debut in Vietnam, where on 13 May 1972 they were used in
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2562-430: The early 1990s during Operation Desert Storm when they were used by coalition forces against Iraq . Even so, most of the air-dropped ordnance used in that war was "dumb," although the percentages are biased by the large use of various (unguided) cluster bombs . Laser-guided weapons were used in large numbers during the 1999 Kosovo War , but their effectiveness was often reduced by the poor weather conditions prevalent in
2623-429: The enemy. Global Strike Command The Air Force Global Strike Command ( AFGSC ) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force , headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana . AFGSC provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global strike operations in support of combatant commanders. Air Force Global Strike Command is the Air Force's service component to
2684-481: The event of GPS signal loss. Inertial navigation is significantly less accurate; the JDAM achieves a published Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 43 ft (13 m) under GPS guidance, but typically only 98 ft (30 m) under inertial guidance (with free fall times of 100 seconds or less). The precision of these weapons is dependent both on the precision of the measurement system used for location determination and
2745-420: The existing weapon. A 2013 report stated that the development had been a success, and B-2 integration testing began that year. In June 2010, USAF Lt. Gen. Philip M. Breedlove said that the Next Generation Penetrator (NGP) munition should be about a third the size of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, so it could be carried by affordable aircraft. In December 2010, the USAF had a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for
2806-437: The land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force previously operated by Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). ACC and AFSPC had assumed those responsibilities following the 1992 inactivation of Strategic Air Command (SAC). The USAF currently has 20 B-2 Spirit , 57 B-52 Stratofortress bombers, and three missile wings of Minuteman III ICBMs that are designated as nuclear-capable. When needed for conventional missions,
2867-460: The nuclear-capable assets of Air Force Space Command on 1 December 2009 and the nuclear-capable assets of Air Combat Command on 1 February 2010. The creation of Air Force Global Strike Command was outlined in the recommendations of the investigation following the 2007 United States Air Force nuclear weapons incident . The command was activated 7 August 2009, at Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana. The mission of Air Force Global Strike Command
2928-433: The original availability date. The project has had at least one successful Flight Test MOP launch. In April 2011, the USAF ordered eight MOPs plus supporting equipment, for $ 28 million. In September 2011, the Air Force took delivery of 20 bombs, designed to be delivered by the B-2 bomber. In February 2012, Congress approved $ 81.6 million to further develop and improve the weapon. In November 2011, Bloomberg reported that
2989-406: The penetrating power of the larger weapon. One of the current limitations of the MOP is that it lacks a void-sensing fuze and will therefore detonate only after it has come to a stop, even if it has passed the target area. Precision-guided munition A precision-guided munition ( PGM ), also called a smart weapon , smart munition , or smart bomb , is a guided munition intended to hit
3050-560: The precision in setting the coordinates of the target. The latter critically depends on intelligence information, not all of which is accurate. According to a CIA report, the accidental United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during Operation Allied Force by NATO aircraft was attributed to faulty target information. However, if the targeting information is accurate, satellite-guided weapons are significantly more likely to achieve
3111-441: The project began as a surface to air missile seeker developed by Texas Instruments . When Texas Instruments executive Glenn E. Penisten attempted to sell the new technology to the Air Force they inquired if it could instead be used as a ground attack system to overcome problems they were having with accuracy of bombing in Vietnam. After 6 attempts the weapon improved accuracy from 148 to 10 ft (50 to 3 m) and greatly exceeded
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#17328442171013172-510: The same way, relying on the target being illuminated, or "painted," by a laser target designator on the ground or on an aircraft. They have the significant disadvantage of not being usable in poor weather where the target illumination cannot be seen, or where a target designator cannot get near the target. The laser designator sends its beam in a coded series of pulses so the bomb cannot be confused by an ordinary laser, and also so multiple designators can operate in reasonable proximity. Originally
3233-502: The second successful attack on the Thanh Hóa Bridge ("Dragon's Jaw"). This structure had previously been the target of 800 American sorties (using unguided weapons) and was partially destroyed in each of two successful attacks, the other being on 27 April 1972 using AGM-62 Walleyes . They were used, though not on a large scale, by the British forces during the 1982 Falklands War . The first large-scale use of smart weapons came in
3294-531: The service's missile organization, came under the new command on 1 December 2009, and the Eighth Air Force, the bomber component, came under the command on 1 February 2010. Air Force Global Strike Command was established for the improvement of the management of the USAF portion of the United States' nuclear arsenal , which accounts for two-thirds of America's nuclear deterrent. It assumed responsibility for
3355-534: The southern Balkans. The Lockheed-Martin Hellfire II light-weight anti-tank weapon in one mark uses the radar on the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow to provide fire-and-forget guidance for that weapon. Lessons learned during the first Gulf War showed the value of precision munitions, yet they also highlighted the difficulties in employing them—specifically when visibility of the ground or target from
3416-486: The target without further input, which allows the delivery aircraft to manoeuvre to escape return fire. The Pakistani NESCOM H-2 MUPSOW and H-4 MUPSOW is an electro-optical (IR imaging and television guided) is a drop and forget precision-guided glide bomb. The Israeli Elbit Opher is also an IR imaging "drop and forget" guided bomb that has been reported to be considerably cheaper than laser-homing bombs and can be used by any aircraft, not requiring specialized wiring for
3477-411: The video feed. The original concept was created by engineer Norman Kay while tinkering with televisions as a hobby. It was based on a device which could track objects on a television screen and place a "blip" on them to indicate where it was aiming. The first test of the weapon on 29 January 1963 was a success, with the weapon making a direct hit on the target. It served successfully for three decades until
3538-440: Was charged with finding a location for the new headquarters, and for transitioning the assigned units into the new command. In April 2009, the preliminary team selected Barksdale Air Force Base as the headquarters for the new command. Donley stated that the factors which contributed to the selection of Barksdale over the other candidate bases were its connection to the 8th Air Force, a "slightly larger [air] operations center", and
3599-402: Was developing a similar " smart bullet " weapon designed to hit targets at a distance of up to 6 mi (10 km). Pike is a precision-guided mini-missile fired from an underslung grenade launcher. Air burst grenade launchers are a type of precision-guided weapons. Such grenade launchers can preprogram their grenades using a fire-control system to explode in the air above or beside
3660-555: Was possible to strike difficult targets (such as bridges) effectively with a single mission; the Thanh Hoa Bridge , for instance, was attacked repeatedly with iron bombs, to no effect, only to be dropped in one mission with PGMs. Although not as popular as the newer JDAM and JSOW weapons, or even the older laser-guided bomb systems, weapons like the AGM-62 Walleye TV guided bomb are still being used, in conjunction with
3721-412: Was test fired in 2014 and 2015 and results showing the bullet altered course to correct its path to its target were released. In 2012 Sandia National Laboratories announced a self-guided bullet prototype that could track a target illuminated with a laser designator . The bullet is capable of updating its position 30 times a second and hitting targets over a mile away. In mid-2016, Russia revealed it
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